the rays of the sun, but arises and shines, reflecting his beams on the dark earth; so shall it be with the enlightened Jews.

4. The effect: "The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." When the songs of the ransomed Israelites are heard in their native mountains, their mouth filled with laughter and their tongue with singing, then shall the nations say: "The Lord hath done great things for them." Ten men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: "We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you." When the psalms of Israel rise from under their vine and their fig-tree, even kings shall lay by their crowns, and come to learn of them the way to peace. Dear brethren, pray for the Jews, prav for the peace of Jeru salem. Oh! hasten the happy day. The Lord will hasten it

in his time.

Doctrine. Christ arises and shines upon souls, in order that they may arise and shine.

I. By nature men are in a state of darkness. Verse 2: "Darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people." When Christ arises upon a soul, he finds it in utter darkness.

are in an

1. He does not know himself.—A man in the dark cannot see himself, he cannot see his own hand before him, he cannot tell whether his hands are filthy or clean; so is it with all of you who Your fingers unconverted state. You do not know yourselves. are defiled, your garments are stained; but you know it not. Impure desires are written in your heart; but you cannot read what is there. You say: when there is no peace." "Peace, peace,

2. A natural man shrinks from the light.-A person who has been long in a dark dungeon, cannot bear the glaring light; it

hurts the eyes; he starts back into his darkness; so is it with all unconverted souls. You love the darkness rather than the light; because your deeds are evil. When the light of God's holy law is brought upon you, you shrink back from it. When Jesus, who is the light of the world, is preached unto you, you shut your eyes closer than before. Is there none of you who has felt that when Christ is fully preached to you, when you have been compelled for a little to bear the light of his lovely countenance shining through the Word, when you have gone home, did you not creep back with delight to other thoughts of sin and worldliness? The more that sun shone, the more you have closed your eyes. Oh! how plainly you are in darkness, and a lover of it.

3. A natural man gropes after salvation.-A man in the dark gropes like the blind. If he wants to find the door, he is obliged to feel for it; he gropes about, not knowing where to place his hand; often he goes in the very opposite direction: so is it with natural men seeking salvation, they grope for it in the dark. "We

for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no grope eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men." Isa. lix., 10. Do you not remember a time when you were alarmed about your soul? a sudden threatening of death, or the near approach of a sacrament, awakened you to tremble for your soul. And where did you go for peace? You did not know where to go; you groped for it; you did not know where to turn yourself. You were directed to Jesus; but you could comprehend him: "The darkness comprehended it not." How plain that you are in gross darkness!

4. They know not at what they shall stumble.-A man in the dark does not know what he may come against. His next step may be over a precipice, or upon dark mountains; so is it with Christless souls: "The path of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they shall stumble." Oh! poor blinded souls, that walk so boldly in sin; ye know not what ye do. You that know you have never come to Christ, and yet walk with a light, confident step, as if you were to walk on a smooth carpet for ever, awake, dear souls. Do not rush on in the dark; for fear, and the pit, and the snare are in the way, and many bold sinners have gone down quick into hell. Give glory to the Lord before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

"The

II. Learn how a soul is brought into light and peace; Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." 1. It is by Christ rising upon the soul.-The image here is taken from the rising of the sun. When the sun rises, then all is light; so when Christ rises upon the soul, all is light. When God first awakens a soul, he finds himself sitting in gross darkness and the shadow of death; he fears he shall soon be cast into outer darkness. He says, I must make my way to light; so he struggles to justify himself, he tries to blot out his past sins by repentance, he tries to mend his life; but he is met by the word: "Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled; this shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow." So he sits down in agony, in more midnight darkness than before; but man's extremity is God's opportunity. The soul is sitting, as it were, in a dungeon; he sees no way of peace. The Spirit opens the Word, and Christ shines through, Christ the Son of God, the Lord our Righteousness. The heart of Christ is revealed, his love to the lost, his undertaking for them, his suretyship obedience, his suretyship sufferings. Glorious Christ! precious Christ! He shines like a new sun, the soul gazes and says: "Truly light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to be hold the sun." Has Christ risen upon you? Has he been revealed to you, that better Sun? Oh! if not, you are of all men

most miserable; you are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Oh! what are all the sparks of worldly pleasure, what are all the fires and torches of the world's kindling? They are like the glowworm's deceitful blaze, they are leading you to ruin; they will soon go out, and leave you to the blackness of darkness

for ever.

Anxious souls, learn to look out for peace.-Oh! how anxiously you search that bosom, to see if there is any change there which may give you peace. Now, change your plan. No more gaze into that foul dungeon; but look out upon the glorious Sun, look upon Christ: one look to him gives peace.

Learn to wait for light.-Be like those that wait for the morning. You can no more bring yourself into peace than you can change the course of the sun. Feel your vileness, feel your helplessness, and wait on his hand to take the veil away. "I wait for the Lord; my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope; my soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning."

2. Christ's glory is put upon the soul:-"His glory shall be seen upon thee." It has long been discovered that color is nothing in the object, but is all thrown upon it by the sun, and reflected back again. The beautiful colors with which this lovely world is adorned, all proceed from the sun. His glory is seen upon the earth. It is all the gift of the sun that the grass is of that refreshing green, and the rivers are lines of waving blue; it is all the gift of the sun that the flowers are tinged with their thousand glories; that the petal of the rose has its delicate blush, and the lily, that neither toils nor spins, a brightness that is greater than Solomon's. Now, my dear souls, this is the way in which you may be justified. You are dark, and vile, and worthless in yourselves; but Christ's glory shall be seen on you.

66

Observe it is His glory.-If you only consent to take Christ for your surety, his divine righteousness is all imputed to you; his sufferings, his obedience are both yours. Tell me, anxious soul, what are you seeking? "I am seeking to make myself appear better in the sight of God." Well, then, do you think you will ever make yourself appear as lovely and glorious as Jesus Christ in the eyes of God? No, I have no hope of that." Ah! then, look here. Christ himself is offered you for a covering; put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Oh! that God would open some heart to believe the word concerning Oh! to see dust and ashes clothed in the brightness and beauty of Christ! Oh! to see a weary sinner perfect in beauty, through Christ's comeliness! This is the loveliest sight in all the "His glory shall be seen upon thee."

Jesus.

world.

III. The command to all in Christ: "Arise, shine." There never yet was a man saved for himself. God never yet made a Chris

tian to be a selfish being. "Ye are the salt of the earth." But salt is not for itself, but to be used. A city set on a hill cannot be hid; so a Christian is set upon God's holy hill not to be hid. No man lighteth a candle and putteth it under a bushel or a bed, but on a candlestick, and then it gives light to all that are in the house. But here is a more wonderful comparison still: "Arise, shine." Christians are to become like Christ-little suns, to rise and shine upon the dark world. He rises and shines upon us, and then says to us," Arise, shine." This is Christ's command to all on whom he has arisen: "Arise, shine." Dear Christians, ye are the lights of the world. Poor, and feeble, and dark, and sinful, though you be, Christ has risen upon you for this very end, that you might "Arise and shine."

1. Be like the sun, which shineth every day, and in every place.Wherever he goes he carries light; so do you. Some shine like the sun in public before men, but are dark as night in their own family. Dear Christians, look more to Christ, and you will shine more constantly.

2. Shine with Christ's light.-The moon rises and shines, but not with her own light, she gathers all from the sun; so do you. Shine in such a way that Christ shall have all the glory. They shine brightest who feel most their own darkness, and are most clothed in Christ's brightness. Oh! wherever you go, make it manifest that your light and peace all come from him; that it is by looking unto Jesus that you shine; that your holiness all comes from union to him. "Let your light so shine before men."

3. Make it the business of your life to shine.-If the sun were to grow weary of running his daily journey, and were to give over shining, would you not say it should be taken down? for did not God hang it in the sky to give light upon the earth? Just so, dear Christians, if you grow weary in well-doing, in shining with Christ's beauty, in walking by Christ's Spirit, you, too, should be taken down and cast away; for did not Christ arise upon you for this very end, that you might be a light in the world? Ah! think of this, dark, useless Christians, who are putting your candle under a bushel. I tremble for some who will not lay themselves out for Christ. Ah! you are wronging yourselves and dishonoring Christ. Your truest happiness is in shining; the more you shine for Christ, the happier you will be. "To me to live is Christ; and to die, gain."

4. Shine far and near.-You are this day besought to help your brethren in the colonies; to send them the Gospel, that the Sun of Righteousness may rise upon them. Obj. Better help the heathen at home. Ans. It is quite right to help the heathen at home; but it is just as right to help the heathen abroad. Oh! that God would free you from a narrow mind, and give you his own divine Spirit. Learn a lesson from the sun. It shines both far and near; it does not pour its beams all into one sunny valley, or on one

bright land. No; it journeys on from shore to shore; pours its rich beams upon the wide ocean; on the torrid sands of Africa and the icy coasts of Greenland. Go you and do likewise. Shine as lights in the world.

Shine in your closet in secret prayer. Ah! let your face shine in secret communion with God. Shine in your family; that without the word you may gain their souls. Shine in your town; that, when you mingle with the crowd, it may be as if an angel shook his wings. Shine in the world; embrace every shore with the beams of living love. Oh! let your heart's desire and prayer be, that every soul may be saved. Be like Christ himself, who is not willing that any should perish. And whenever a soul sinks into the dark lake of eternal agony, may you be able to lift up your tearful eyes and say: Father, I have prayed to the last, and spoken to the last. "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."

SERMON XXXII.

were the

MELTING THE BETRAYER.

"When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."-John xiii., 21. THERE are many excellent and most Christian men who think that the feast of the Lord's Supper should never be sullied or interrupted by allusions to those who may be eating and drinking unworthily. They think that when men have, by their own solemn act and deed, deliberately seated themselves at the table of the Lord, that table to which none but believers in Jesus are invited, they think that, for the time being, at least, it is the part of that charity which hopeth all things, to address them as if all e genuine disciples of Jesus, and children of God. These good men know well that there are always many intruders into that holy ordinance; they know that many come from mere custom, and a sense of decency, and from a dislike to be marked s openly irreligious and profane; and though they feel, in addressing the whole mass as Christians, many a rise of conscience within, many a sad foreboding that the true guests may be the little flock, while the intruders may be the vast majority; yet they do not feel themselves called upon to disturb the enjoyment of the believing flock, however few they may be, by insinuating any such dark

out as

already sold their Lord for their sins; some who, though they may eat bread with him, yet lift up the heel against him.